The FDA warned consumers and healthcare professionals today of the dangers of Que She, a capsule which was marketed as an herbal weight loss supplement but actually also “contains unlisted and active pharmaceutical ingredients that could harm consumers, especially those with cardiovascular conditions.” The FDA recommends that people who have purchased Que She should stop taking the product immediately and consult a health care professional. Below is an excerpt from the full FDA Public Health alert including the unlisted drugs within the “herbal supplement”:
Que She, advertised as “Slimming Factor Capsule” and as “an all-natural blend of Chinese herbs,” has been widely distributed on Internet sites such as the Bouncing Bear Botanicals website, and at retail outlets, including Sacred Journey in Lawrence, Kansas.”
An FDA analysis of Que She found that it contains:
- fenfluramine – a stimulant drug withdrawn from the U.S. market in 1997 after studies demonstrated that it caused serious heart valve damage
- propranolol – a prescription beta blocker drug that can pose a risk to people with bronchial asthma and certain heart conditions
- sibutramine – a controlled substance and prescription weight loss drug, sibutramine was the subject of a recent study whose preliminary findings showed an association between sibutramine use and increased risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have a history of heart disease
- ephedrine – a stimulant drug that is legally marketed over-the-counter for temporary relief of asthma but can pose a risk to people with certain cardiovascular conditions.
FDA recalled dietary supplement products containing undeclared drug sibutramine back in 2009, as lab analyses identified undeclared sibutramine in 34 dietary supplement products and Unilever United States, Inc. recalled all Slim-Fast® ready-to-drink (RTD) products in cans, due to the possibility of contamination with Bacillus cereus.